Several different colors of borders were auditioned. Red, blue, dark blue, navy blue, black. Green looked like it fit the best. Red looked angry, the blues out of place, the black was too much contrast. Yes, there are two different green fabrics, after sewing the first border on someone suggested that I needed to extend the green so the background setting square floating in the first border, well, just didn't look odd!! Not enough of the first green so did my best to match them with another green from my stash. Then a border of the focus fabric. Thanks everyone for your help! See everyone's design wall at Patchwork Times.I finished making all the blocks for Trail Mix.

The little pile in the lower left is what was left over from my cut pieces. I refolded all the civil war fabrics and put them back in the box. Neater, but not appreciably less!I'm not much of a soup eater. But I did make this--

Peasant Soup!! Polska kielbasa, white beans, onions, and kale cooked in chicken stock. It was delicious and easy. Last week's goals didn't do so well. Seven items, only two done. Weekly Goals--

Piece a backing/ready a top for quilting

Mt Hood blocks

30's blocks

Machine sew binding on black/red quilt

Summer at the Lake setting blocks

Merry Go Round blocks

The Merry Go Round blocks need to be sewn together, I want to use the design wall for Trail Mix and the 30's blocks. The weather is going to stay cold so its good sewing weather. I'm tired of winter, 73 days until April 15th, I'm going to start counting down. Most years its starting to warm up by then. A favorite spring memory--the smell of fresh dirt! Do you have a special spring memory?

The 4 Patches to Trail Mix. Two of the five different blocks completed. I've cut a lot of the pieces needed, but it didn't make much of a dent in the box of civil war repros. Please see everyone's design wall at Patchwork Times.Last week's goals went pretty well. Quilted the black/red top, made Rainbow Scrappy blocks, finished Mt Hood sub-pieces, and worked on Trail Mix blocks. Didn't cut the alternate blocks for Summer at the Lake and haven't decided on how to finish the yellow Irish chain. Sorted last year's Rainbow Scrappy blocks into two groups/two quilts.Weekly Goals--

Lay out/start sashing one set of 30's blocks

Piece a backing/ready a top for quilting

Machine sew binding on black/red quilt

Sew Mt Hood bits into blocks

Trail Mix blocks

Work on Yellow Irish Chain

Summer at the Lake setting blocks

Lots of variety for this week. I know there is a belated Christmas party later this week, and I'm not sure if Ken has any road trips planned. We missed most the bad weather last week, high winds but no snow here.

Hey, if I finish the black/red quilt that means I can START another one!! I saw a scrappy Burgoyne Surrounded that was gorgeous. I know, I know--I need to wait and see how much I really want to make it. Avoid magpie syndrome.

Are you working on a special project? Maybe you pulled out a UFO? Or, maybe a NEW project??

How can two people have so much laundry, and why does Ken always run out of socks?? Is there a sock thief? If there is I think he takes showers at our house and uses at least 10 towels.

Great Granny blocks or Album blocks. Each block has some blue in it. The outside edges are various COC, WOC, COT. I won't trim the edges until its time to assemble the blocks. Please see what everyone is making at soscrappy.

Patchwork Among Friends, its a personal favorite. I estimate it used 20 yards. It was a challenge among Liz and Marilyn from Texas and myself. We were to use the pattern Four-Patch Plaid from the book Nickel Quilts by Pat Speth. We could change the pattern as desired. I used the pattern as written--king size.

Liz used MAM blocks for her border. She selected dark scraps to frame the top.

Marilyn used her 30's stash and made a piano key border. It was a great challenge, use our stash to make the top. Next we're going to make Mt Hood from the same book. I doubt I would have finished this quilt this quickly but I didn't want to be the only one who didn't! I love my quilt and its going on my bed. Thank you Liz and Marilyn for the encouragement!Last weeks goals were just that--goals! I did finish binding my quilts and worked on Mt Hood and Trail Mix but I didn't load another top or work on a Rainbow Scrappy block. Instead I played with grandchildren.

Weekly Goals--

Load a top

Rainbow Scrappy block

Finish Mt Hood bits

Cut Summer at the Lake setting blocks

Think about how to finish Yellow Irish Chain--do you have suggestions??

Trail Mix blocks

Last week my organizing was folding all the 30's fabric back into a box. A smaller box but still plenty left. They will go under the quilting table to age.

The picture a bit washed out, the background is a soft yellow. See everyone's design wall at Patchwork Times.

How did last week's goals work? Good, I've worked on all of them. I loaded and quilted a top. Almost done binding the Tilted Rails top. Made more Mt Hood and Trail Mix blocks. And finished making those yellow Irish chain blocks.

Its bitterly cold, so I'm doing this--

Staying inside underneath a quilt sewing the binding!! I'm #3 on the Stashbuster's UFO Queen list, so I've been binding as fast as I can, hoping to avoid the crown or at least be able to abdicate gracefully.

And, for all you sock knitters out there--

Honest, they didn't have these holes the last time I wore them! Ken laughed at them, I rarely wear socks out, these were about 15 years old. Don't worry, I bought new socks.

And I found a new use for my ironing board--

Good place to prop my feet while I frog stitch or read.I'm wearing Danskin shoes. Comfy, lightweight and machine washable. Courtesy of the clearance bin at Walmart.

Weekly Goals--

Finish binding quilts

Load another top

Rainbow Scrappy block

Mt Hood blocks

Trail Mix blocks

More than enough to keep me busy. The 30's repros are all folded and back in their box. I'm tired of them for now. What are you doing to stay warm??

Work on ONE UFO per month and move it One more step towards completion. (add borders, set blocks into a top, etc)

Any piece of stash
less than 9" WOF goes into the scrap box to be recut into usable
units--noodles, 3.5" x 6.5" bricks, 5" charms.

Finish a UFO before starting a new project (this one is a bit iffy)

I plan to participate
in Design Wall Mondays, Stashbuster's UFO Challenge, Rainbow Scrap Challenge and other internet
fun. Even Stash reports! I may not post to each one every week--but I
enjoy them.

I plan to make quilts for donation and for family.

I will participate in internet fun.

I will remind myself its the PROCESS I love the most!

My word for the year is ENJOY

Yes, I think these will work well for 2014. Last year I finished 13 quilts. 7 were donated various places. 3 to family. A few I finished for a friend. I'd like to say I'll have more finishes in 2014, but then I remind myself quilting is for fun. And I need to enjoy it, all of it! Finishing a project before starting a new one is flexible. And its becoming more doable. Mostly because I've learned to avoid "Magpie Syndrome". That need to make every new project I see. How do I avoid that? When I see a project I just GOTTA make, I say Okay, but THINK about it. I let it simmer in my mind. I review fabrics in my stash, will they work? I do math calculations, possible resize/redraft the pattern to fit my needs. And IF, after a couple of weeks, or months I STILL want to make it, I do. It is put on the list of projects I am going to make. How is that working for me? In the last six months I've started seven projects. I haven't added any new ones to the list, yet. One project required specific stash additions, that's okay. One required background fabric, another okay purchase. The rest are using stash. I have limited attention span, I flit from one project to the next. But, they aren't NEW projects. They are on my list and I like the variety.

Have you thought about where you'd like your quilting to take you? What you like best? How about a bucket list? Have you made one, or started one from it?? Don't think its too hard, or I'll do it "later". Try a practice block before committing to it. Ask another quilter for help. But, above all else, ENJOY what you do!!